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Kia ora koutou

Welcome to Sport Wellington's Healthy Lifestyle's team first check-in for 2020. We have started the year with energy and focus and are back in the community delivering healthy lifestyle support programmes from pēpē through to kaumātua.

In this newsletter, we're sharing stories of change, how we've used community recreation events to support goal setting and innovative ways to keep older people strong and active. If you're new here, or after a refresher on our purpose and scope, we've included an update on our two major programmes: Green Prescription and Community Strength and Balance.

Stories of change - Meet Jacob

Delivering community health services on behalf of the three District Health Boards is hugely rewarding. Sport Wellington has the privilege of watching our tamariki grow in confidence by building on their strengths. We do this by providing permission to play, a safe environment and opportunities to try new activities with their whānau and community.

One such child, Jacob, has gone from strength to strength after 12 months on the Pre-school Active Families programme and strong support from his whānau.

"For us, his parents, we can say that we are also filled with confidence seeing what he is now capable of doing and what he’s keen to attempt to try now. This has been very rewarding for us to watch."

Read Jacob's full story here

Physical activity and nutrition support for the wider Wellington region

Green Prescription (GRx)
GRx is a free programme to improve the health and wellbeing of children and adults (including pregnant women) through physical activity/nutrition support to support sustainable, healthy behaviour changes. Through education, removal of barriers, and development of personal skills GRx aims to enhance physical, mental and social well-being. We work one-to-one with people in the community or in their homes and deliver interactive workshops and programmes. Thank you to all our referrers for linking in your clients so far this year. As we are reaching capacity for referrals, we do ask that participants who are referred are ready and open to support. We will be turning down referrals for people whose only interest is in access to a discounted gym/swim membership. With limited resources, we need to ensure we are ensuring equitable access to support for those most in need.

Click here for GRx referral pathways and criteria

Community Strength and Balance classes
We are the lead agency for Community Strength and Balance, part of the Live Stronger for Longer movement. Our role is to create and grow access to quality classes for older people to remain active in their community. Our goal is to support older people to remain active, independent and injury free. No referrals are required to access Strength and Balance classes, just turn up!

Click here to find Strength and Balance classes

How poi exercise can improve your health

Sport Wellington recently hosted Dr Kate Riegle van West, the founder of SpinPoi, as she led training for people interested in incorporating poi into their existing group exercise classes for older people, or people who wanted to develop their skills in sharing the use of poi as exercise with their communities.

Practicing poi helps keep the brain alive. It's stimulating. It's fun. It requires complex actions that keep the body and mind engaged.

Watch the video and read the full article about the beneifts of poi here.

Healthy Lifestyles at Brendan Foot Supersite Round the Bays

More than 13,000 were active on Wellington's waterfront participating in the annual Round the Bays event, delivered by Sport Wellington in February. This year, our Healthy Lifestyles team supported our biggest ever number of Green Prescription participants to walk, run or scoot around Wellington's bays. 266 people, from pēpē to kaumātua, took up the challenge and enjoyed a day out with their whānau. In the weeks leading up to the event, we supported walking groups in the Hutt Valley, Porirua, Wellington and Wairarapa to assist with training and goal setting. Some of these walking groups are still going strong which is a testament to the community connections our participants have made. Congratulations to all of our whānau who achieved their goals on the day, we look forward to continuing to support you and seeing you all next year.

Read more about Brendan Foot Supersite Round the Bays

The Porirua walking group's last meet up before the event.

Our Healthy Lifestyles team at the finish fun zone, where we shared healthy kai and wai.

Would you like to know more?

The Healthy Lifestyles team are always interested in presenting at medical centres, secondary care services and with other community groups or services. If you would like to hear more about programmes and opportunities that could support your participants, please get in touch!

Ashleigh Baker, Healthy Lifestyles Manager, email: ashleighb@sportwellington.org.nz or 022 098 2134.

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